


vienna

by gargalesthesiaaa



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (ish?), (just one scene u can skip over it if need be), Angst, Apologies, Breaking Up & Making Up, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Forgiveness, Hair Braiding, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Panic Attacks, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, barely there dw, c!dream is nd coded in this bc i said so, learning how to love again :'], minor awesamdude/ponk bc. i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-19 00:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29742312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gargalesthesiaaa/pseuds/gargalesthesiaaa
Summary: “... George misses you, y’know,” Sapnap shuffles, “We all do.”Dream hums, pausing for a moment. “... We?”"Well— me, George, Quackity, Karl... you know. The— the 'pop-off squad,'" Sapnap mumbles, sliding down the wall to sit comfortably, gathering the courage to look at Dream. The blonde is looking up at him curiously now, head cocked to the side in question. “It’s… It’s not the same, without you.”-or, a series of visits to pandoras vault that result in something more.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Alexis | Quackity/Karl Jacobs/Sapnap, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 353
Collections: Completed stories I've read, the dnf that shivers my timbers that seas my shanty





	vienna

**Author's Note:**

> LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO DREAM APOLOGISTS RISE UP!!! HERE IS UR PROPOGANDA!!!!!! u guys deserve CONTENT
> 
> neways tysm to [alastair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/b1rds0ng/pseuds/b1rds0ng) my love for betaing, ur so cool ok ily mwah mwah pls go check them out if u havent yet (if u havent... wtf..... gogogogogo) also big thank u to lapis who literally brainstormed this w/ me n alastair and gave me most of the ideas... bc we are nothing but dream apologists
> 
> i cant believe i wrote 7k words just bc i love dream. 
> 
> this is all my perspective, how i would love for things to play out, and how i inspected/picked apart each character and gave dream the forgiveness he deserves
> 
> (one scene dream does have a panic attack and stops himself from stimming, if u need to skip over dont feel bad! its a heavy part and ur not obligated to read it :])
> 
> hope u all enjoy this dream apologist propoganda
> 
> (title from [vienna by billy joel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wccRif2DaGs) so i do recommend listening to that before/during/after reading the fic as it is based off of the song)

The familiar sound of flowing lava encompasses Sapnap as he and Sam walk slowly through blackstone walls and obsidian floors. Each click of their heels making an ominous _tap, tap, tap_ that reverberates through the tense air. Being born in the Nether, the constant bubble of lava was— sort of— a comfort to Sapnap.

Sam guides him through the prison without much fuss, and Sapnap follows the procedures and signs the waivers without question. By the time he’s standing on the blackstone platform waiting for the lava to dissipate, his stomach churns with trepidation, but really, it’s nothing that Karl and Quackity can’t amend with adoring words and sugar sweet kisses.

Sapnap reaches up to fiddle with his headband— a nervous habit— before realizing that he took it off earlier to let Karl have full access to his hair. He mentally curses Karl for being so damn persuasive as he runs his fingers along the braids etched in his hair. Shaking his head, he moves to puff out the loose bottom half around his shoulders so he looks somewhat presentable without his signature white headband.

“Stand back, please. The lava tends to splash on the edge of the blackstone.” Sam directs, and Sapnap holds back a shiver at his monotonous voice that crawls up his spine. “Yeah— mhm, no problem, sure,” He nods, stepping back a few times.

“Again, if the prisoner makes an effort to harm you in any way, or if the prisoner makes an attempt to escape their holding cell, you will be forced to stay in this prison for at least seven days while I, the warden, check over each security protocol and make sure the prison is back to its former glory before letting you free.” Sam recites from memory, and Sapnap whistles, blinking a couple times for good measure.

“Yeah— yeah no, I understand,” He tacks on a nervous laugh at the end of his sentence, clearing his throat and turning to look at Sam. The guard gives him an unimpressed look, gas mask looking far more intimidating than Sapnap would like to admit.

“Face forward, Sapnap.” 

“Haha— yep, yeah, doing that now.” Sapnap gives a strained smile before staring into the lava ahead. He waits, rocking back and forth on his feet and fidgeting with his hands to stop himself from filling the tense silence that begs not to be broken. He even goes as far as to bite the skin off his lips, a manner that he hadn’t quite shaken off.

The lava finally begins to open the pathway towards Dream's cell, and Sapnap squares his shoulders, sighing quietly.

“Feet square on the platform, brace your knees. It’s going to jolt a bit for your first time. Just call for me and I’ll pull you back.” Sam informs. Sapnap does as he’s told, struggling to calm the thundering of his heart. Voices and thoughts clog his mind, memories of _Dream, Dream, Dream, of the community house, of Spirit, of-_

“Enjoy your visit.”

The platform moves, and Sapnap can make out the faint outline of a hunched over figure sitting on the obsidian floor growing closer and closer until the detached floor bumps with the cell. Cautiously, he steps off the platform and into the cell, Dream doesn’t even bother to spare him a glance as the bars lower and they’re left in clipped silence.

Sapnap idles to the wall opposite to where Dream is, leaning on it awkwardly. Dream raises his head weakly to look at Sapnap. The other tries to suppress a wince at Dream’s disheveled state, crossing his arms as a sort of ward.

They stand (or sit, respectively) across from each other in quiet for a few tense moments before Dream drops his head again.

“Nice hair.” Dream comments, and his voice can only be described as _haggard_. His throat is rough from disuse and dehydration, and his words unintentionally come out as a hoarse whisper. He has to clear his throat before he’s able to speak again, next time hopefully more intelligible than the last.

Sapnap raises a hand defensively to touch the flower-infused strands, as if checking if the carefully woven braid is still there. “Yeah, you wouldn’t know, dickhead. Your hair looks like a rat’s nest.”

This raises a chuckle out of Dream, who coughs a bit after, still trying to clear his throat. He reaches to grab a piece of his own hair, twiddling it between his thumb and index and bumping his head against the obsidian wall behind him. “No one to take care of it here.” He shrugs.

It’s practically unbearable when another wave of hushed silence washes over the two. Sapnap bites his lip, contemplating his next move. 

“... George misses you, y’know,” Sapnap shuffles, “We all do.”

Dream hums, pausing for a moment. “... We?”

"Well— me, George, Quackity, Karl... you know. The— the 'pop-off squad,'" Sapnap mumbles, sliding down the wall to sit comfortably, gathering the courage to look at Dream. The blonde is looking up at him curiously now, head cocked to the side in question. “It’s… It’s not the same, without you.”

Dream shifts, running a hand through his unkempt hair. His hands are always moving, Sapnap notes, whether it be tapping his leg or picking at his skin. He speaks, after a few seconds, “... I’m sorry, Sapnap. I really am.”

“I—” Sapnap sighs, scratching the back of his neck. “I know you are, Dream.”

The silence that follows is loud.

Sapnap wouldn’t call it tense, though. Not comfortable either. It’s more— letting the conversation drop. A somber, slow melody.

They stay like this. Sitting in each other’s presence. Slowly remembering what it was like, all those years ago.

They don’t notice when they reach the one hour mark until Sam’s voice echoes through the intercoms, signaling that it’s Sapnap’s cue to leave.

Sapnap stands up slowly, and gives Dream a small wave when he walks towards the corner pool.

He gets a smile in return.

“I’ll see you soon, Pandas.”

-

The next time Sapnap goes to visit Dream, he makes sure to bring at least two hair-ties on his wrist and a secret comb hidden in the folds of his hoodie. 

No, it’s not like he has a plan to brush out Dream’s hair and take care of him. There’s no evidence, no proof, and he just... forgot to take those specific materials out of his hoodie pocket when Karl did his hair.

No biggie.

By some miracle, he manages to sneak these items by Sam, and now he’s standing in the same spot as he was last time in Dream’s cell. Dream seems more lively today, sitting crisscross on the floor and staring at Sapnap in confusion.

Sapnap makes sure the lava is completely down and flits his eyes over to Dream. “So… uh. Your hair.” He states dumbly, gesturing vaguely with his hands. Dream furrows his eyebrows.

“My what?”

“Your— um— your hair. It’s tangled. Beyond belief, might I add.” Sapnap elaborates, leaning on the wall again for comfort. He’s still a little apprehensive of this entire… _situation_ , but he can still help out a friend once in a while.

(He ignores the way his mind immediately refers to Dream as a friend despite everything.)

“Yeah, okay asshole, I know that.” Dream rolls his eyes. “It’s not like I have a brush in here.”

“Well, lucky for you, I— I brought one.” He carefully brings out the smuggled brush, and Dream widens his eyes and sits up in surprise. 

“What— dude! You could get in serious fucking trouble, why would you—” Dream scolds incredulously, eyebrows pinched and looking stunned.

“Come on, Sam’s not gonna know. Do you want me to brush your hair or not?” Sapnap snaps, and recoils because that came off a _little_ too harsh. He sees how Dream flinches, and immediately backtracks, suddenly nervous about the proposition. Sapnap sighs, fiddling with the handle.

“Listen. I… I learned a few tricks from Karl, uh… I could— braid your hair— I guess. This doesn’t mean we’re— we’re friends again, but…” Dream brightens, his entire posture changing with the proposal of someone actually combing his hair. Sapnap tries not to think about how long Dream had to have gone without physical touch from another human being.

This is how they end up, Sapnap sitting behind Dream on the cool obsidian floor, comb in hand. Dream shuffles in front of Sapnap, trying to get comfortable. 

“Tell me if it hurts.” Sapnap says, and tries running his fingers through Dream’s semi-long hair to determine where the tangles start. He accidentally tugs too hard on Dream’s hair when he encounters a knot, causing the aforementioned man to hiss in pain.

“Sorry,” Sapnap mumbles, gentling his touch as he separates Dream’s hair until they're in different sections. He scoots to the left a bit, grabs one of the pieces, and starts brushing the tangled area out softly. Sapnap hums a leisure tune as he works through the kinks of unkempt hair, listening to Dream’s even breathing and grunts of pain every once in a while.

It takes a few minutes before this one section is fully brushed out, but when it is, Dream breathes a sigh of relief. He reaches back to pull the section Sapnap’s finished to his shoulder, running his fingers through the brushed hair almost awestruck. 

Sapnap smirks, “Feels good?”

“Y-Yeah… yeah, it does,” Dream breathes, an uncontrollable grin rising on his face. “Feels amazing, Sapnap.”

Sapnap laughs lightheartedly, smiling along with the other. “Wait until I finish brushing all of it. You’re gonna be so greatful.”

“Can’t wait,” Dream lets the piece of hair drop back.

It’s almost melodic, the way Sapnap brushes through his hair. It's a constant scratch, calloused hands holding the strands soothingly. Dream leans into the touch, and he’s basically on the edge of sleep when Sapnap announces that he’s finished. 

Dream’s head feels so much lighter when Sapnap finally moves away, admiring his work. 

“Holy shit,” Dream marvels, gathering the hair up and staring at the brushed out nature of it. His hair is longer, like this, reaching down to his shoulder blades.

Dream thinks he could cry.

“Yeah, holy shit.” Sapnap remarked, raising his eyebrows and leaning back. “And we’re not even done.”

Dream turns to look at Sapnap, and his eyes look less dead than before. More alive, with a gleeful spark in them that makes Sapnap reminisce fondly.

Before he can register a response, Dream’s already flung himself on Sapnap, squeezing him in a tight bear hug. Sapnap beams, hugging back with the same ferocity, burying his nose into Dream’s shoulder because _this_. This is what home is to him. The familiar scent of someone close to him, a brother, and the safe encompassing warmth of a hug.

“Alright, there, Dream,” Sapnap giggles, clapping his back happily. “I still need to braid your hair, idiot.”

Dream sniffles and reluctantly pulls away, a grin still lingering on his face. “Thank you, Sapnap. Genuinely.”

Sapnap rolls his eyes, motioning for Dream to face ahead again before getting on his knees and parting three strands away from the rest of his hair at the top of his ear. “It’s what brothers do, right?”

There's a moment of quiet where Sapnap thinks he’s said the wrong thing until Dream responds.

“... Yeah. Brothers.” The platonic affection in Dream’s voice isn't missed.

The hour they have passes by like seconds. Easily passed banter and laughs filled the emptiness of the obsidian cell, grumbles and whines from Dream when Sapnap’s too rough when he weaves braids into Dream’s scalp, instructions like “stay _still,_ you big baby,” are passed around and handled like a triumphant symphony.

Sapnap’s barely finished the braids, five minutes to spare, when Sam’s voice comes over the intercoms. It breaks whatever giddy bubble he and Dream had relaxed into, and Dream slumps with the reminder that Sapnap can’t be there forever.

Dream bites his lip, still running a finger over the bumpy terrain of the braid stuck to the side of his skull. He loves the way it feels under the pad of his index, and is fixated on the nice texture. 

Sapnap seems to understand, standing up and brushing off his pants. Dream looks up at him, and Sapnap sends him a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, dude. I won’t leave you.” Sapnap says, and Dream almost tears up right then and there.

“Yeah, okay. See you then, Pandas.”

“Bye, Clay.”

-

Sapnap visits the next day. And then the next. And the next.

Sam expects to see him waiting at the entrance every day, the exact same place and time, and they walk to Dream’s cell in relative silence. 

Sam’s not stupid. He knows Sapnap brings hair bands and combs with him into the cell. 

Sam just doesn’t see an issue with it. He’s even begun to keep a bag of hair ties on him, because Sapnap tends to forget them.

All Sapnap’s doing is braiding Dream’s hair. And, surprisingly, Sam isn't entirely a monster. The treatment he designed the prison for is practically inhumane- Dream deserves a moment to smile, every once in a while. Sam even lets Sapnap stay for longer than the permitted visiting periods.

Because before he’s the warden, he’s a decent human being. 

(Or, he lets himself believe he is.) 

Sam notices when he goes to bring Dream his food that the braids never leave his hair until bed. They stay, locked in, like Dream doesn’t want to take them out.

Today, Sapnap has a chess board tucked under his armpit as he waits for Sam. Sam eyes it conspicuously, and Sapnap shifts on his feet. 

“Look, Sam— please let me bring this in. I promised Dream I’d have something new for him, and—” Sapnap starts.

“All I have to do is inspect it, and you’ll be good to bring it into the prison.” Sam states cooly, hand out indicating for Sapnap to give it to him. Sapnap furrows his eyebrows in surprise, but gives it to Sam anyways.

Sam turns it around in his hands, opening the wooden box and feeling for any secret hatches behind the loose chess pieces. Once he deems it harmless, he hands it back to Sapnap, a small smile on his face.

“I take it you understand all of our procedures by now?” Sam asks, leading Sapnap farther into the prison.

“Yup,” Sapnap says, popping the ‘p’ and grinning. “Thanks, by the way.”

“It’s nothing.” Sam assures, and they’ve reached the black stone platform for the millionth time.

“Enjoy your visit.” He rattles off, and sends Sapnap away.

He hears Dream’s exclamation of _“Sapnap!”_ before the lava goes back down, and sees the two engage in an excited hug upon seeing each other.

Sam’s polite, so he looks away. A small smile plays at his lips once he hears loud laughing across the lava room, and he pulls out his phone to respond to Ponk’s texts as he walks out of the prison.

-

This routine stays the same for a few months. Sapnap comes almost every day, and when he doesn’t, he sends Sam a letter telling him why.

Sam lets Dream know, and he can see him visibly hunch over once he hears the unfortunate news.

(He makes sure to give Dream extra food and another clock those days.)

Sam sees the way Dream is slowly changing. His eyes regain that tiny spark that they used to have before- before everything, before L’manberg. He watches as the time passes by, Sapnap and Dream slowly building up their friendship back to what it used to be. He sees Sapnap and Dream learning each other again, and most importantly, how to _love_ again.

In the middle of those months, it was the first time Sam ever let three people visit Dream at the same time. Sapnap, Karl and Quackity had nagged him all day for the chance to visit Dream as a group, and he finally relented after Quackity had pouted long enough.

Sam heard Dream laugh the hardest he ever had before that day. He almost had to check on him for fear he had choked- but Dream’s face was scrunched up in delight and the other three were giggling right along with him, so Sam left them alone.

Loud banter and laughter rang across lonely obsidian walls, and when Sam eventually has to pull the fiancé’s back from the cell, he catches a glimpse of Dream’s huge beam as he waves, making them promise to come back jokingly. They all pile on top of him in a hug.

Sam thinks, privately, that maybe Dream doesn’t deserve to be in here.

-

Sapnap basically knows his own way through the prison, now. Sometimes, when Sam wants to go hang out with Ponk, he leaves Sapnap on his own to navigate himself through the prison. He’s memorized the blackstone paths and redstone workings, and has even earned his own guard’s pass. 

He hadn’t thought it was possible, at first. With how strict and emotionless Sam had shown himself to be when it came to the prison, he would’ve thought the situation would be like a mere fairy tale.

Well, miracles do happen.

Today, Quackity and Karl are following him through the inner workings, towards the main cell. They’re all holding hands, chatting idly as they move throughout Pandora’s vault. They all decided to take a break for today— Quackity leaving his building project (which he hadn’t revealed to his fiancé’s yet,) and Sapnap and Karl pausing the progress of Kinoko Kingdom to visit Dream.

They had asked, once again, for George to come with them to the prison. The same response came again, that _‘I think I’ll pass, sorry,’_ with a melancholy smile that just makes Sapnap want to drag George over there and force him and Dream to talk it out.

It’s always the same excuse, ‘Dream wouldn’t want to see me,’ or ‘What if he’s not ready to talk? I can’t rush him like that, Sapnap,’ and it infuriates the charcoal-haired man to no end. George always opted to stay behind at Kinoko, to ‘continue building the houses,’ as he puts it.

(Sapnap knows he's really just laying down on the mushroom caps and napping. George basically gets no work done unless Karl and Sapnap are there to help him.)

The fiancé’s were used to the jolting of the platform from visiting many times before, and Dream’s calling out to them happily before they even make it to the cell. Quackity shouts back at him, while Karl and Sapnap choose to just grin and send him a wave.

Dream’s basically buzzing with excitement once the platform stops and they step off, the bars lowering and the lava slowly flowing down the entrance again.

Quackity untangles his hand from Sapnap’s as his wings propel him forward and into Dream’s chest, who grabs him and wheezes, hugging him tightly. “Woah, Quackity!” 

Sapnap laughs at his fiancé’s antics while Karl giggles beside him, clinging onto his arm. “Wait until you hear what happened today, Dream, it was fucking _insane_ —”

They settle into comfortable conversation, all four of them gravitating towards their normal spots in the cell. Dream sits on his newly acquired chair with Karl behind him, brush in hand, Sapnap sitting criss-cross on the floor while Quackity stands near the wall, his wings fluttering to stretch every so often. Dream admires the new rings on Quackity’s fingers, and Quackity proudly flaunts the way he looks stunning with the jewelry adorning his digits.

The one that sticks out the most is a plain, silver ring that shone better than any of the other jewel-infused bands. It’s simplistic, and Sapnap and Karl have a matching set. Something that signified their bond to each other.

Dream ignored the ugly feeling that reared its head in his chest— one he hadn’t felt since Tommy’s exile. 

He’s not doing this again. He’s grown. He’s not going to revert back to his old ways. 

Dream’s not going to let himself spiral again.

Jealousy claws at his heart as he desperately tries to push it down, talking to the three fiancé’s almost automatically. He can barely feel Karl brushing through his hair, but it’s still a steady itch that grounds him, even for a moment.

He’s snapped back to reality— his dingy, obsidian cell, surrounded by his friends— by Karl suddenly bringing up a subject that had been untouched before today.

_George._

Dream clears his head once he realizes that all three of them are staring at him expectantly.

“Uh— um, sorry, Karl, could you repeat that—” He stumbles over his words, and Sapnap crosses the room to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, promising him that they wouldn’t leave at the slightest mistake.

“Kinda weirdchamp…” Karl teased. “Not listening while im braiding your hair.”

Dream scoffed lightheartedly, a smile on his face. “ _Wha-hat_ ! What the hell is wrong with you, I’m not ‘ _weirdchamp_ ,’”

Quackity laughs, “Let’s go, let’s go! You— you’re getting popped off, Dream, we’re popping off—”

Sapnap watches his fiancé’s tease Dream amicably for a few minutes, smiling and laughing at each joke.

“As I was _saying_ ,” Karl sighs dramatically once the giggles die down, “I was telling you about George, nimrod.”

Sapnap doesn’t overlook the way Dream tenses. He makes sure to rub soothing circles where his hand is laying on Dream’s shoulder, hoping he doesn’t freak out at the subject of his old lover. (Were they even still in a relationship? Sapnap hadn’t bothered to ask. It didn’t seem important, at the time.)

(It’s practically ground-breaking, now.)

“What, um,” Dream clears his throat, and Karl begins to braid his hair. He takes a deep breath before continuing, “What’s he doing? Erm, actually- I guess _how’_ s he doing is a better question,”

Quackity nods at him encouragingly, letting Dream know there’s nothing but acceptance when it comes to the three of them.

Karl hums, tilting Dream’s head to make it easier for him to weave the braid into his scalp. “He’s at Kinoko, right now.” Sapnap nods in affirmation. Dream furrows his eyebrows, as he can’t tilt his head, “Kinoko?”

Sapnap startles, “Oh, shit! You don’t know about Kinoko,”

“You didn’t tell him?” Quackity asked.

“It completely slipped my mind, oh my god—” Sapnap smacked a hand to his forehead. “Kinoko Kingdom is just this little… piece of land that me, Karl and George found. We’re living there now.”

“God, you’re such a nimrod,” Karl rolls his eyes, mumbling.

“ _Anyways,_ ” Sapnap cuts in loudly. “George is at Kinoko right now. I would say he’s continuing construction on the houses we have in progress, but, you know how he is. He’s probably napping on one of the mushroom caps.”

Dream exhales his laugh. “Of course he is, he loves mushrooms.”

There’s a slight pause where no one knows what to say before Karl pipes up.

“We could get him to visit you, y’know?” Karl suggests, and Dream makes a noise as he tugs too hard on a strand of his hair. Karl apologizes quietly. “He just— wanted to give you space. That’s why he hasn’t, uh, visited yet.”

Dream swallows audibly, and Quackity twists the ring on his fingers at the sudden heavy topic. He feels as if he’s intruding, because he isn’t really in direct correlation with Kinoko.

“... Only if he wants to,” Dream finally whispers, clearing his throat to speak louder. “I don't want to— force him, I guess. He— he was my everything, and I just— I acted like he wasn’t. And— and I know that was hard to process and I—”

Sapnap grabs Dream’s hand once he sees it shaking slightly, rubbing Dream’s palms soothingly.

Dream takes a few moments to calm down, the silence loaded with the heavy stares of the three fiancé’s waiting for— but not pressuring— him to continue.

“It took a toll on him more than it did me. So… in his own time. I don’t want to rush him.”

“That’s bullshit, ‘ _it took a toll on him more than me,_ ’” Quackity interrupts, his wings flaring out a little with his stubbornness. “You’re literally stuck in this shit-hole excuse of a prison because someone had to be the villain of the server to get everyone united again! That’s fucking heroic, man, and if you just explained it to George I’m almost a hundred percent sure he would understand. You just have to— I don’t fuckin’ know, man— communicate.”

Dream looks at Quackity, surprised.

“Quackity’s right,” Karl adds quietly, still braiding Dream’s hair subconsciously. “That was a hard burden to bear, Dream. You dealt with it in the best way you could have.”

“Well, maybe not the best way-” Sapnap cuts in. “But everyone makes mistakes. It just calls upon the victim to forgive you or not.”

Dream bites his lip, tears pricking at the back of his eyes. “Guys…”

“You don’t deserve to be in here, Dream. We’re going to get you out of here. That’s a promise.” Quackity solidifies, staring into Dream’s eyes determinedly.

Dream feels the tears slide down his cheek as he smiles at the three of them.

“Thank you.”

-

Tommy realizes something a few days after the latest disc war.

It might’ve been his biggest enlightenment yet— and he’s stuck on the thought for a good hour before it finally clicks.

He doesn’t even know how it arose, if he’s honest. One second, he was on the bench, staring into the sun and wondering why dread froze his heart when he heard Wilbur’s voice that day. The next, he was registering the childishness that started L’manberg.

It was complete whiplash.

His eyebrows furrow almost comically as he sits up from his hunch, eyes wide and mouth agape when the sudden thought invades his mind.

L’manberg was _childish_. Or, at least, what started it was.

What the fuck was he thinking? Starting a literal fucking drug empire on a server that was previously united and peaceful?

Tommy tries to look back, tries to grasp at any sort of straws, trying to prove to himself with evidence that this is wrong. No way this was true, there’s no way that starting L’manberg was childish.

In the middle of his frantic searching, he belatedly figures out that Dream _wasn’t a bad guy_ before Wilbur. Of course, his discs were important, and Dream stole them (which was a dick move, if Tommy says so himself,) but the entire ‘war’ was silly and lighthearted. They weren’t really _trying_ , then, they weren’t fighting for independence, it was just some friendly fighting over discs. 

Dream hadn’t even done anything to specifically hurt Tommy and Wilbur. He had just tried to stop them from dividing the server into factions- and Tommy realizes that was completely justified.

What the _fuck_.

Dream wasn’t the villain- no matter what Wilbur tried to force on everyone. No matter what _he_ tried to force.

They had treated Dream like the ultimate villain- it was only logical that he’d become one.

His mind flashes back to that one chaotic consultation with Wilbur, where he had practically dominated the aura in the air as Dream handed over copious amounts of TNT, smooth ceramic masking his sour expression and body language betraying no emotion.

Tommy, when he looks back on it now, realizes that Dream basically hadn’t talked throughout the entire ordeal. He stayed, solemnly silent, until the moment arose when Wilbur needed assistance and beckoned Dream to his side.

Tommy shakily exhales at his ground-shaking epiphany, gulping.

He needed to visit Dream. _Immediately_.

Tommy practically sprints towards the prison, using ~~Dream’s~~ _his_ trident, landing roughly. He whips out his communicator and rattles off a capitalized, severely misspelled message, telling Sam to ‘gear up his warden ass voice and meet Tommy at the prison ASAP.’

Sam’s giving him a call in under five minutes, and Tommy’s standing anxiously in front of the swirling purple portal, tapping his feet against the cold blackstone. Sam gives him the ‘go ahead’, and he all but dives through the portal.

He meets Sam on the other side, frazzled. “Come on, let’s just get this over with, blah blah blah, I need to see Dream _immediately_ —”

“Woah, woah, Tommy, I need you to calm down,” Sam raises his hands. “Put your items in locker one, first of all,”

Tommy sighs and immediately runs into the room once Sam unlocks it, dumping all of his things into the chest hastily and grabbing the key. He puts it in the ender chest, basically having memorized all the procedures.

This might be the quickest time Tommy’s had going through the prison, and for a moment he hears Dream’s speedrun music in his mind. 

Sam follows him silently, occasionally reminding him where to go. He sees that Tommy is in a rush, and doesn’t question it. Soon they reach the stone platform, and Tommy keeps fidgeting impatiently as he waits for the lava to fully dissipate.

He doesn’t even turn to talk to Sam, just staring straight into the lava ahead and practically thrumming with his eagerness.

Once the lava is down, Dream’s already looking over to the other side, wondering who it is. He visibly tenses up when he realizes it’s Tommy, guard raising immediately.

“Big D!” Tommy yells, and Dream furrows his eyebrows at the nickname in confusion and mild disgust. Tommy’s been here enough times that the shake of the platform doesn’t phase him anymore as he jolts forward. He waves his arms in the air in an attempt at a friendly greeting, jumping off the stone and into Dream’s cell once he’s close enough. He looks over the edge, into the lava, and whistles nervously. He hears the lava start to flow down again, and pulls his head back into the safety of the obsidian box.

“Man, that platform always gets scarier everytime I go on it,” Tommy mumbles, turning to look at Dream with a grin too big to be on his face. “Dream! My man, my friend, the biggest of D’s— how are you?”

“... Tommy?” Dream says apprehensively, trying to force himself not to step back.

“Dream, you know what, I just had an epiphany,” Tommy explains amicably, walking around Dream’s cell leisurely, taking in the new things on the wall and hair bands on the side table. “Huh, you don’t have many things to keep you company in here. Must be lonely,”

“Anyways! The reason I’m here is to— er, fuck, what’s the word? Apologize! Apologize, yeah, that’s it.” Tommy ponders. Dream’s practically gaping at him already, mouth hanging open.

“But— why would you apologize? I— I was the one that exiled you, I was— I _manipulated_ you, Tommy!”

“Well, yeah, but you were taught that, weren’t you? I remember Techno ‘n Phil tellin’ me about that, er— that actions were learned. _‘No one’s evil for the sake of being evil,’_ or some shit. Bit fucked up, innit.” Tommy shrugged, plopping down to sit down criss-cross on the floor. He looked at Dream expectantly. “Come on, sit! It’s a long fuckin’ story.”

Dream shook his head as if to clear the fog in his mind and sat down slowly.

“I was sitting on the bench today, y’know, minding my own business, as a big man does—” Tommy starts, leaning forward on his knees. “And I was thinking back. To before L’manberg, when it was just me, the discs, you, and everyone. Uh— it was all fun, wasn’t it? The whole disc war, we were—” He paused to laugh, and Dream offered a tentative smile at the memory. “We were having fun! It wasn’t serious, it hadn’t really… _flourished_ , into, erm, y’know, whatever the fuck it is now. And, well, you weren’t a bad guy.”

Dream barely remembers that time- it was months, _years_ ago, and he’s all but forgotten who he was back then. It’s weird to think about a time where he didn’t regret every move he made.

“I realize, now— which is fuckin’ weird, ain’t it? Days after the entire fucking thing with Tubbo happened— I still don’t forgive you for that, by the way, dickhead, but I understand why— and then you realize that the villain of your story wasn’t really the villain. Sat there for like an hour thinkin’ after that.”

Dream exhales a laugh, leaning backwards. Tommy finally gets a good look at him, and the first thing he realizes is the braid winding across the side of Dream’s hair, holding it back. He raises his eyebrow with a sly grin.

“Nice hair, by the way.” He snickers when Dream’s hand shoots to his hair almost self-consciously, mumbling a small ‘thanks, I guess.’ 

“So— y’know how it is, I realize now that really, you weren’t a bad fuckin guy until we called you one, eh? The whole ‘calling me a villain, I’ll be a villain’ type shit— feels kind of like a fictional story. Yeah, so… I’m sorry. For,” Tommy gulps. “For callin’ you a tyrant. And a— a villain, I guess. It was, er, partly my fault, for how you turned out. ‘N shit. You were still a fuckin’ dick in exile, though.”

“I— I know. I’m so, so sorry, Tommy.” Dream blinks, looking away.

“... I know people can make mistakes, Dream,” Tommy said softly, unexpectedly, rubbing his neck at the genuine words spewing out of his mouth. “God knows I’ve made a lot. So fuckin’ much, man. But… we’re kind of the same. If— If you agree to forgive me, I guess I can— maybe— forgive you. Dream.”

“Tommy…” Dream whispered, a big smile on his face.

“Well, uh… that’s all I wanted to say. I’ll probably leave now, but… yeah. This was nice. Genuinely. Thank you.” Tommy said awkwardly, standing up.

Dream nodded. “Will you visit again?”

“Duh.” Tommy scoffs lightheartedly. 

Dream finally gives him a grin. “I’ll see you then.”

Tommy rolls his eyes.

“Okay, Dream.”

-

When Dream hears the lava start to dissipate, signaling a visit, the last person he expects to see on the platform across from him is George.

He thinks it would be Sapnap, or Karl, or Quackity, or all three of them if he’s lucky. He’d even think it to be Tommy, anyone before _him_. 

Before George.

George’s exactly how Dream remembers. Blue shirt, jeans, those stupid fucking clout goggles perched atop his head—

Dream furrows his eyebrows as he stumbles back, not daring to believe it. 

“George,” He breathes as George finally makes his way to Dream’s cell after what seems like centuries, gracefully stepping off the moving platform and onto the obsidian flooring.

George avoids his eye, looking anywhere but at Dream. The blonde, being as impulsive as he is, is the one to break the tense silence first. 

“... George? Oh— oh my god! George, it’s been so long—” Dream starts, trying to grasp at any straws, any conversation topics, any source of normalcy that could get him at least a _smile_ from George.

He’s silent, though.

“Why— why are you here, I—” Dream’s losing his facade. He’s growing more and more nervous and apprehensive by the second, his lungs feel like they're collapsing. George isn’t answering, he isn’t talking, and Dream’s _scared_. Of what, he didn’t know. Dream moves to step forward instinctively, before stopping himself.

George is still, terribly, silent.

Dream decides he’s had enough. George is so bad for his heart. It’s thumping erratically in it’s cage, and Dream has to suck in deep breaths before continuing.

“Look if— if you’re not going to say something— if you’re— you’re—” Dream’s thoughts are creating a halestorm in his mind, not letting him think coherently. He’s terrified, so fucking terrified, and he doesn’t know why. His breathing starts picking up as horrible images clog his mind. “You’re— I—”

He barely realizes when he starts hyperventilating. He wasn’t prepared _at all_ for this visit. What the fuck is Dream supposed to say? George isn’t answering, he doesn’t have any idea what’s happening due to the fog in his mind, this wasn’t supposed to happen before he was ready— It doesn’t register when George finally turns to look at him in concern, he’s already stumbling back to lean against the obsidian wall for support. 

“George— George, I’m sorry,” Dream’s voice cracks in the middle of his apology, and he keeps repeating those litanies like a mantra, over and over. He’s wound his arms around himself at this point, clutching at his upper arms. George doesn’t look like he knows what to do, panic and worry evident in his heterochromatic eyes. Dream’s nails are digging into his own skin enough for them to leave crescent shaped marks on tanned skin. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry— all— all I wanted— fuck, George— all I wanted was for you to be happy and you—”

He sucks in a breath pathetically, hanging his head low. 

“You said you wanted a united family and I’m _so fucking sorry_ it came to this. You were all I cared about and I just—” He fights the urge to stim, to let all this bubbling emotion out, because he knows it would definitely freak George out if he began to smack the side of his head repeatedly. He’s babbling now, his mouth fighting to keep up with the avalanche of apologies raining down onto his brain. “Fuck, that was too soon— I keep messing things up, God, I’m sorry, George, I’m sorry—”

It doesn’t dawn on him that George has crossed the cell towards Dream until thin, familiar arms are wrapping around his waist and pulling him into a firm hug. It shuts him up quickly, and the touch is slow— cautious, you could say, but self-assured at the same time. Dream practically melts into the embrace, God knows the last time they’ve touched each other, and slumps into George. He lets his hands relax against his arms in favour of bringing them up to hug George back tightly as George reaches up to run a hand through Dream’s loose hair, whispering. “Hey— shhh, it’s okay, I get it. You’re okay, Dream.”

Dream’s shaking in George’s arms, spilling tears and snot into the material of his shirt, hiding his tear-stained face in George’s shoulder. He’s scared, so scared to hurt George, he doesn’t know if he wants to press further into the hug or pull away for fear he would harm George again.

Dream just doesn’t understand.

“No— no, no, George, I messed it up, I— it wasn’t supposed to be like this, you should be angry. Why aren’t you angry? George, please—” He pleads, holding onto George like a lifeline, who’s scratching Dream’s scalp slowly, calmingly.

“I don’t want to be angry anymore,” George whispers into Dream’s ear after a moment, “It’s tiring. And, funnily enough, I’m tired of being tired.”

“But— George, didn’t you hear what I did? I— I fucking blew up L’manberg, I manipulated Tommy, I—” Dream protests weakly.

“Listen Dream, I get it. I mean, no, I don’t really, but the thing is— I don't _care._ What you need to understand is that we have time— all the time in the world. To fix your mistakes.”

_‘To fix us,’_ goes unsaid.

“But…”

“Shush.” George switches their positions, so his back is to the wall, and slowly sinks them both to the floor. Dream is cuddled against George’s chest, between his legs, and George is whispering sweet nothings into his ear. He’s humming a tune in between honey-suckle words— one only Dream had heard before. It’s not long before Dream falls asleep to George’s steady heart beat and sweet sentences, and George follows, falling into a dreamless oblivion shortly thereafter.

It’s a little uncomfortable. George’s back hurts from the obsidian, and he’s sure to have a crick in his neck when he wakes up— but it doesn’t matter. They have each other, and Dream gets what he’s been craving. He gets to feel small, vulnerable, but completely and utterly safe in George’s arms. 

When Sam goes to check on the two of them after an hour of inactivity, he’s surprised to see them cuddling on the floor, completely passed out. He thinks about his options, and ultimately decides to leave them alone.

(That doesn’t mean he didn’t tell Ponk about this later, though.)

-

Really, it wasn’t that hard to stage a breakout.

They had waited. Waited until no one except them were on the server. Everyone that Dream had gotten close to during his prison sentence— Sam, Tommy, Sapnap, the likes— had planned out perfect timing, when no one would be there to witness the carefully constructed plan.

Dream’s out of the prison in no time, Sam bringing him through the workings as if he was a visitor. The others wait outside, preparing to Nether-travel Dream straight to Kinoko in case someone decides to log on at that exact moment.

Dream looks gaunt when he exits, but when he finally, after months of being cooped up inside, steps onto the grass, sees the water, he almost collapses from his relief. He sucks in lungfuls of fresh air, finally away from the heat-infused oxygen in his cell. He almost cries.

He’s running, shackles off his wrists, and Sam and Tommy stay behind to put on a show for the next people who log on. Sam has his hand poised on the alarm button, and he watches as Dream sprints towards the purple swirling portal, where his friends are waiting for him, grinning, wooping, beckoning him forward— and Sam smiles.

Dream sends Sam and Tommy a secret grin, an amazing thank you.

They nod as Dream makes his way _home_.

Sam looks at Tommy, who just rolls his eyes. Ruffling Tommy’s hair affectionately, Sam presses the alarm button without any further ado.

(Bad and Ant are pinged immediately, teleporting into the prison and running around. Sam pretends to have been offline, and they don’t find any sign of Dream. Tommy’s faux-distraught, screaming and yelling.)

(Sam ignores the cheeky wink Tommy sends his way when Bad and Ant aren’t looking.)

-

It’s a few days after Dream’s alleged ‘escape’, and there was already a bounty on his head. Sam assures everyone that ‘there was nothing they could do to help it, and we are upping security measures to make sure it never happens again if we capture Dream.’

It’s months later that Sam deemed Dream as ‘dead,’ him and Tommy telling everyone to stop worrying about the supposed ‘villain,’ as he was nowhere to be seen.

“Dream hasn’t been seen since the prison break. He’s most likely dead, and you need not worry about him anymore.” Sam told anyone who asked.

In reality, Dream was laying down in dewy flower fields, pinky intertwined with George’s, pointing at the clouds in the sky and laughing at the silly shapes he makes up in his mind. He’s sparring with Sapnap, being taught poker by Quackity, and being read shared memories by Karl. His long hair has grown farther, now, and there are always flowers woven into careful french braids.

Dream’s living his best life, he thinks. He’s with his friends, he has an amazing boyfriend, he’s changing— life really couldn't be better. The first few months, when everyone’s looking for him, he was sometimes forced to hide in cramped areas while server members, like Niki and Punz, looked for him around Kinoko. He was never found, thankfully.

Sam and Tommy visit him sometimes, too. Sam brings along Ponk once, and Sapnap has to threaten one of his lives to make sure he doesn’t tell anyone about Dream’s location. Tommy brings with him news of the SMP, while Sam brings pastries from Puffy.

The next— and last— person to find out where Dream went is, not surprisingly, Techno. The pink haired man goes to visit Sapnap to talk about Ranboo, as they’re both his legal guardians, when he sees a familiar face grinning up at George in a flower field, who looks down on him amusedly. Dream’s head is in George’s lap, and Techno's left gaping at the domestic scene before Sapnap covers them, stammering, obviously caught in a lie.

Funnily enough, Techno’s favour to Dream is not telling anyone he’s at Kinoko and covering for him.

“You’ve gone soft, Dream!” Techno would call out to him every time he visits bearing food and gifts, and Dream challenges him to a spar to show just how _not_ soft he’s gotten.

Dream’s life is good.

He wouldn’t trade this for the world.

-

George’s head is laying on Dream’s chest, and they’re on top of a soft, brown mushroom cap in the middle of the night, gazing up at the stars.

Dream rubs absent shapes into the skin of George’s back, breathing methodically as they cuddle in silence. He looks up to the stars, tracing old constellations with his eyes as he hums a non committal tune.

George wraps his arms around Dream’s waist and pulls him even closer, which elicits a fond chuckle and a forehead kiss from Dream.

“Mmm— are the stars clear tonight?” George mumbles into Dream’s chest.

“They are,” Dream whispers.

George turns his head just enough to see the myriad of lights painting the night sky, and smiles. “You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Dream earns a smack on the chest for the cocky comment. "Ow—! Haha, okay okay, fine.”

George props his head up on his hands so as to not totally dig his chin into Dream’s chest, looking up at his lover, who’s staring back at him with adoration. He scoots up to press a tenderhearted kiss against Dream’s lips, and drops his head.

“‘m tired,” George says.

“Good night, then,” Dream says back. He shifts George off of his body and to the side, cuddling into him and burying his nose into the crook of George’s neck

They sleep, just like before, in the dingy obsidian cell. Except this time, Dream’s free, and they’re at liberty to run across nighttime stars, hand in hand, towards their destiny- wherever it may lead.

They wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> 7.6k words of dream apologist propoganda. we love to see it. anyways freedream2021 my mans didnt do shit
> 
> hope u guys liked it!! probably my longest oneshot ive ever written and deadass,,,, im so fuckin proud of it. my hands were basically shaking with pride once i typed that last lline and i just :DDDDD happy happy yknow
> 
> edit: NEW WITH [SOME DOODLES](https://twitter.com/m3llohiii/status/1367300205490692097)  
> BY @/lowasfound ON TWITTER!! 
> 
> anyways i have socials!! u can follow me on!! feel free to shoot me a dm if u want to!
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/m3llohiii)  
> [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nqther)  
> [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/netherwastaken/)


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